STORM DESCRIPTION
A Gulf Coast system brought a period of moderate to heavy snow to
southern New Jersey, with lighter snows further north.

Synoptic Discussion
The low pressure initially formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on the
7th. By the morning of the 8th, 3 separate centers were
present: one in Georgia, another in western North Carolina, and a
third near Cape Hattaras. They combined into one center by the
afternoon of the 8th, but then quickly moved out to sea, and was 450
miles east of Atlantic City by 7AM EST on the 9th. The rapid
movement prevented heavier accumulations from falling.

Local Discussion
Snow moved into New Jersey during the morning of the 8th. It
became heavy at times during the afternoon in southern sections, but
remained lighter farther north. Two particularly heavy bands of
snow developed over Salem, Gloucester, Camden, and Burlington counties,
and over northern Mercer, southern Middlesex, and Monmouth
counties. The snow tapered off to flurries just after midnight
EST on the 9th. This was the heaviest snow to date for the
1996-1997 winter season over southern New Jersey, with 3 to 6 inches
accumulating in Salem, Cumberland, Gloucester, Camden, Burlington and
Monmouth counties. Less snow fell further northwest, with 4 to 5
inches in Mercer, Middlesex, and Union counties, 1 to 3 inches in
Hunterdon, Somerset, Morris, Essex, Passaic, Hudson, and Bergen
counties, and 1 inch or less in Sussex and Warren counties, the usual
snowiest places. The southern coast also saw less snow due to
temperatures above freezing, which caused the snow to mix with rain at
times. Only 2 to 3 inches accumulated in Cape May County, with 3
to 5 inches in Atlantic and Ocean counties.

New Jersey Snowfall TotalsIndividual Snowfall Totals from February 8-9,
1997